Echoes in the Moonlight
by kwerk
Summary: A brief one shot of a peaceful moment just a few hours after the ending credits of the game.


Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VIII and its characters were created and owned by Squaresoft (Square Enix), and I do not claim any ownership over them.

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A small figure opened the grand golden doors slowly, hoping to make as quiet of an entrance as possible. Popping her head through the space, she could see that the grand room was empty. Bits of streamers and glitter were scattered here and there, with crumped up napkins and empty champagne glasses lying on the empty tables. A slight breeze picked up, causing a chill to come over her as she rubbed her arms to warm herself up.

The only illumination in the room came from the moon, streaming a pale bluish light through the glass ceiling and massive windows that surrounded the majestic ballroom. The darkness of the room combined with the stars sparkling through the glass panels gave the room a sort of enchanting quality.

Seeing there was no one else in the room, the dark haired girl closed the door behind her.

Her footsteps reverberated with a quiet echo as she walked onto the ballroom main floor. She smiled to herself thinking of the event that occurred just hours ago.

The celebration held at BalambGarden's ballroom was, for the general populace, this year's Garden Festival. However, for the knowledgeable few who knew what had transpired over the past few days, it was a victory party for saving the world from a megalomaniac sorceress from the future.

The dark haired girl sighed, wondering if she was ever going to be able to sleep again after everything that had occurred. After almost nonstop fighting to survive for months, it was difficult to believe that it was all really over. Every time she closed her eyes she would see Ultimecia's face leer at her menacingly, reminding her of the mental manipulation she went through when the sorceress possessed her body. But more than anything, what plagued her mind more than anything were her anxieties of being feared once the world found out about her powers…

She had to sneak away and do the only thing that could settle her mind, even if only for a few moments.

After her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, she was able to look around for her target object. She spotted the shape of a lone grand piano at the edge of the stage in the far corner of the room.

Making her way towards the piano, she let her hand slide over the smooth top of the grand piano being careful not to smudge it. The cream color of the wood seemed to glow in the moonlight, making the piano appear ethereal and even more beautiful to look at. Every curve was flawless, the keys spotless, and she could only assume every string tuned to perfection.

She smirked at the thought.

_I doubt SeeD would let its instruments to fall out of tune…_

Sitting on the bench and lifting the lid, she could see the black and white ivory keys glisten, as if inviting any passerby to sit on the cushioned piano stool and play a little.

She began to play the keys softly, filling the room with notes of sweet yet wistful music she has played since childhood.

She only knew a few songs, but she made herself memorize those tunes and execute each note perfectly. To her, those songs were like treasured memories that were too precious to be forgotten.

Her worries were replaced with a feeling of peace that washed over her mind. She let her mind drift as her fingers danced across the keys, each note confident it will hit the intended note on cue. Closing her eyes, she drank in the music, thanking whatever inspired her to sneak out of bed to enjoy this quiet moment.

_This is nice…_

"Hey" said a low familiar voice amongst the shadows.

Surprised, her head whips around toward the voice quickly, causing her hands to play a wrong note that echoed loudly across the empty room. She didn't hear anyone open the door, nor the footsteps because she was so focused on the music.

"That was nice…until that last part," Squall said with a smirk stepping out of the shadows.

"Thanks," Rinoa said glad that the room was dark so he didn't see her blush. She didn't know how long he was listening and started to automatically close the lid to the piano to stand. Her smile faded as her gaze went from the piano to his face. Even though her magic bubble was brief, she was a little sad to see it vanish so soon.

Squall walked across the main dance floor, and as he got closer she could see the confused look appear on his face. "Why did you stop?"

Biting her lip slightly, she looked down as she stepped away from the piano.

"Well," she started, trying to think of the right words to explain. "I don't normally play in front of other people."

"Stage fright?" he asked walking towards the piano and leaning against the top with his forearms. She could see he was still in his characteristic black leather jacket. Inwardly, she questioned to herself whether he even sleeps in that jacket. She giggled as she recalled the various times she woke him up in his dorm where he was, indeed, wearing that same jacket.

_I wonder if I could get him to go shopping for other clothes?_

Smiling, she waved that those thoughts aside as she realized she left him waiting for an answer.

"Sort of… I couldn't sleep very well, so I figured I'd come here and try to relax."

She clasped her hands behind her back and began tracing patterns in the floor with her foot. With all of Squall's SeeD training on observing behavioral patterns, this was Rinoa's classic tell when she is about to talk about something personal.

"My mom taught me a few songs when I was little," she said looking up into his blue-grey eyes. They too, seemed to sparkle in the moonlight.

Squall watched as her face switched from a sad to an amused as she laughed a little. "Having a piano on our Timber Owls train wasn't exactly practical, so I didn't get the chance to play as often as I would have liked. It helps me relax and forget about my problems for a while."

"Hm," he said crossing his arms with a slight smile on his face.

"What's so funny?" wondering about the far off look on his face as if he was just remembering something amusing.

"Sis used to play the piano for us back at the orphanage," he said turning his eyes back to her face. "I think… I remember she tried to teach me a song."

Rinoa's look of surprise was quickly replaced with a wide grin as she bounced happily on her heels. "Please please please play the song! I'd love to hear it."

Squall tried to make a stern expression, but the amusement was evident in his eyes. "I'm not one to perform for others either."

Her face fell slightly at that, disappointment evident on her face even in the dark.

"However," Squall began moving towards the bench and sitting down. His gloved hand patted the space next to him, and she sat on the bench beside him as he opened up the piano lid again. "I believe we can come to an …agreement."

"Like what?" she asked tilting her head to the side.

"An eye for an eye, or in this case, a song for song."

Feeling her sigh at this side, he knew that she couldn't resist the offer he just gave her.

"Fine," she agreed a moment later. "How do we decide who goes first? Rock paper scissors?"

"Sure," he said shaking his head slightly. Usually Selphie and Zell would spend hours trying to best each other at Rock Paper Scissors. He wouldn't be surprised if Rinoa used this tactic to make decisions when she first joined the Timber Owls.

"Ok. On three: one, two, three!" she said counting the shakes of her hand.

She looked down at his flat hand as it moved to cover her fist.

"Paper beats Rock. I win," Squall stated matter of factly.

"Yes, I can see that," Rinoa huffed. "Fine…"

After pausing to take a breath, Rinoa began playing the one song she knew she couldn't mess up in front of Squall. It was her mother's favorite song to play, and somehow it just fit with the moment she and Squall seemed to be sharing.

Squall stiffened a little hearing the same song that was being played in the Galbadia Hotel's bar during his dream as Laguna.

_Julia's song? _

_Of course, Julia is Rinoa's mother. That's why she loves playing the piano._

Watching her sway slightly as her fingers went up and down the length of the piano, he could see the smile return as she lost herself in the comforting music. The notes bounced off of each other in the echoes of the large ballroom that seemed to create a whole accompaniment to her melody.

As the song concluded, the notes faded into the night and she opened her eyes to gaze into his. Neither wanted to be the one to break this tranquil moment.

However, a tired yawn couldn't help but escape from Rinoa, making her frown at the ruined moment.

Squall chuckled slightly while offering his hand to her. "Ready for bed now?"

Pushing his extended hand aside, she huffed again. "You still owe me a song Leonhart."

"I'm not sure if you'll like it…"

"Come on, you agreed…" while another thought popped into her head to help her argument. "And I'm still technically your client, so I order you to play me your song."

Sighing with mock exasperation, "Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you."

He pulled off his leather gloves and handed them to her to hold. Stretching his hands and fingers (even a little too dramatically) his fingers hovered over the keys ready to commence.

Then the sound of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star echoed across the room.

Rinoa couldn't help but burst out laughing and nearly fell off the piano bench in hysterics hearing Squall's "performance."

When he finished, he saw that Rinoa was now on the ground trying to contain her laughter. Shrugging, he stood up offering his hand to help her stand as well.

"I told you I only knew one song."

Still chuckling, Rinoa smiled up at him.

"That was absolutely…priceless."

Cupping his hands around her face, Squall gazed into her dark brown eyes.

"Did I help get your mind off things?" he asked.

Smiling again, she wrapped her arms around him and whispered, "For now, yes. Thank you"

"Anytime" he whispered, knowing that in the silence there passed between them an understanding of the promise made in a flower field long ago.

Cherishing this quiet moment together, she closed the distance between them. Rinoa couldn't help but think back to their first kiss hours ago and how she was never going to tire of his lips on hers. After who knows how long, Squall reluctantly broke away and smiled as he took her hand and led her out of the ballroom.

She smiled to herself as the same feeling of comfort and peace she felt moments ago was now back as she held the hand of her beloved knight.

_I guess I don't need the piano after all…_


End file.
